


Always and Forever Or How Marcus Proposed to Abby

by MissConstance



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: A Little Bit Of Crack, Clarke's reaction, F/M, Fluff, Funny, Indra as Marcus' advisor, Kabby, Marcus proposes to Abby, Marriage Proposal, Some Clexa, The kids are having a lot of fun, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Planning, Wedding Rings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-06-06 18:05:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6764449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissConstance/pseuds/MissConstance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My view on how Marcus proposes to Abby, with the help of his good friend Indra and the kids. Also, Abby announces her engagement to Clarke. The kids decide to take care of the preparation of the wedding. And the actual wedding. </p><p>Lots of fluff. Kabby. </p><p>Not following the recent events: no Jaha or Alie, no Pike. Everyone is happy and the Sky People is the 13th clans. Lexa, Lincoln and Sinclair are alive. </p><p>Can be read as a continuation to my other fanfiction 'You Are Loved' (there are a few references to it) but also as a single piece.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Marcus gets some advice from Indra

**Author's Note:**

> This is a request from my sister (a big Kabby fan), Eleonore I love you!! 
> 
> Enjoy :)

It’s been a few months since Arkadia had become the 13th clans, bringing peace between Grounders and Sky people. Both clans were starting to feel more and more comfortable around each other and Lexa’s reign seemed to be working so far. Thus, in this peaceful atmosphere, the relationship between Marcus and Abby had a chance to grow. 

At first, they were trying to be discreet, sneaking into each other’s room when the night falls or sharing kisses during breaks. However, the camp wasn’t blind, especially the kids, and they all noticed the change of relationship between the two of them. Something that Raven had been very happy about, taking real pleasure to make public jokes or insinuations to Abby and Marcus, who always ended up blushing and embarrassed, like two teenagers in love. Thus, there was no point in keeping it a secret anymore, and they started to be more public about their relationship, even if they kept most of their intimate moments for Marcus’ room, where Abby started to inhabit permanently. 

So, after a few months acting like a married couple, Marcus thought that it was time they both actually got married. It wasn’t like they barely known each other. They had already lived so much together, knowing each other since they were teenagers, and they weren’t young anymore. They couldn’t waste any more time. Well, Marcus didn’t want to waste any more time. And, a wedding could lift everyone’ spirit and make the alliance between the Grounders and the Sky People even stronger. 

The more Marcus was thinking about it, the more he wanted to make Abby is wife. But first, he had to propose to her. 

With that idea in mind, he started to think how to do it. Something that was way more difficult than he thought. He wanted to do something really simple. But also beautiful. Abby deserved something beautiful and romantic. After all the horrors they’ve been through, they deserved it.  
The more he was thinking about it, the more ideas he had, and none of them pleased him. He groaned in despair and frustration, taking his head in his hand. 

Finally, he decided to go ask some advice to someone he trusted and who could have actually good ideas. With that, he went to see Indra. 

\---  
They met outside of the camp. It was almost the summer and the temperature was extremely enjoyable.  
“Marcus, it is really nice to see,” Indra greeted him. “Same for me, Indra”, he replied.  
“You said you had an important matter to discuss. Is everything alright?” She inquired.  
“Yes, yes! I wanted to talk to you about…hum…”  
Thinking about actually asking her on the matter of his engagement was kind of embarrassing for Marcus, and talking about personal subjects was very new to him.  
“Hum… Well, you must know that Abby and I are now…” “Together,” Indra interrupted him.  
“Yes,” Marcus was beginning to doubt if this was actually a good idea, “and, well, I was thinking about… I want to…”  
“Marcus,” Indra interrupted once again.  
Marcus looked at her and decided to go straight to the point: “I want to ask Abby to marry me”.  
Indra raised her eyebrows in surprise but quickly regained her posture.  
“Well, I think I shouldn’t be surprised,” she said, smiling, “You two had it coming.”  
Marcus was relieved. He didn’t know how she would react (he had imagined her telling him that it was too soon, that it wasn’t the time, that they other things to do than plan a wedding), and so, he was happy that she wasn’t dismissing the idea.  
“So, how are you going to do it?”  
He sighed.  
“That’s the issue. I don’t know what to do. I never… I want to do something simple… But not too simple… I want to make it beautiful for her…”  
“Marcus,” Indra stopped him for the 3rd time.  
He looked at her with pleading eyes: “Can you help me?”  
She smiled: “Of course. Let’s talk”. 

\---

A couple hours had passed, and yet, Marcus has still haven’t found a way to propose to Abby. Who would have thought a proposal would be so difficult?  
Certainly not Marcus, unfortunately.  
Indra had explained to him many traditional ways to propose in her culture, but those were either too showy or too wild. Apparently, each village had their own traditions. The man was supposed to be worthy of the girl and had to demonstrate it to his village. It often involved a certain number of victories in combat, which was their way to establish the worth of a warrior. But, at Marcus’ surprise, it also involved ways to prove that they could provide for their families, by killing large wild animals or by catching a lot of fished. There was some sort of religious rituals too, which include killing a chicken and gathering the village for a special ceremony of engagement, or something like that. Marcus was kind of lost.  
Indra told him that in ancient traditions, the Commander had to approve the union, but now, only a few people still did it. 

That wasn’t really what Marcus had in mind. He really wanted something simple and private, but that could take Abby’s breath away. But they were on earth now. So he also wanted to add a touch that could remind her of the grounders’ culture.  
After talking a little bit more with Indra about what he wishes exactly, she came up with the best idea he could never have imagined.  
\---

It was almost the end of the day when Abby finally caught a glimpse of Marcus. He was walking across the camp, an odd grin on his face. She went to him.  
“Where were you?” she asked him.  
“I went to see Indra to talk about security matters,” he calmly answered, still smiling.  
She was about to say something else but he interrupted her: “Nothing important, don’t worry.”  
He was still smiling. Abby looked at him, studied his expression, frowning, but found no signs of worry or concern, only pure happiness. He also seemed lost in thought, which explained his strange smile.  
He bent down to give her a little peck on the lips and started to walk toward their room.  
“When you’re done in medical, meet me in our room, okay?”  
“Okay,” she answered him.  
She watched him walk away, the grin still on his face.  
She wondered what could have made him that happy. 

However, when she met him in their room later that night, and he greeted her with numerous kisses, she quickly forgot what she was wondering about.


	2. The Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here you go!! The proposal!! Marcus is really nervous :p
> 
> Enjoy ;)

The next day, Marcus had everything prepared. He even made sure that Abby’s agenda was clear for the evening and he had put Sinclair in charge of the camp for the night if something happens. The man took the opportunity to congratulate him and wish him good luck. Everything was planned, nothing could go wrong. Well, that was what Marcus kept telling himself. 

To say that Marcus was nervous was an understatement. He kept thinking about all the scenarios in his head. He talked over the walkie-talkie to Indra a hundred times, making sure that everything was in place. (She ended up by cutting the communication). Raven was also aware of what was going on and was in charge of getting Abby out of medical at the right time. Marcus didn’t want to tell her, well, he hasn’t actually told her. She figured it out by herself. And since then, she hasn’t stop winking and smirking at him all day long, making Marcus even more nervous and embarrassed. So now, Raven was in charge of taking care of Abby without being suspicious. 

The time had finally come for Marcus to take Abby where he wanted to and propose to her. He went to get her in medical.   
“Abby,” he said when he spotted her, taking care of a patient. “Hey,” she responded, a smile on her face when she saw him, “what’s going on?”  
He was about to say something when Raven, who mysteriously appeared next to him, interrupted him roughly: “He’s here for your date!” She exclaimed. Both Abby and Marcus looked surprised. Abby for obvious reasons, and Marcus because he hadn’t expected Raven to announce it to her like that (since when has she became a matchmaker for them?)  
Abby looked at him, inquisitive.   
“Yes, actually, I thought we could go on a walk before the sun sets”.   
He needed his hands to stop trembling.   
“Well, that’s a great idea, but I still have work to do here and…”  
“Don’t worry, everything had been taking care of, Jackson said he will take the night shift and I’m here if something happens,” Said Raven, once again, excitedly.   
Will Raven stop speaking for him?? He was not a teenager anymore! Plus, they’ve been dating for the past months, he could ask her on a date!  
Marcus breathed. He needed to calm down; she was actually helping him (making it weird, sure), but helping him. 

Abby was about to protest again when he spoke: “It’s true, and, Abby, you can take a night off, the camp is not going to fall down”. He reassured her with a small smile.   
After a minute of contemplation, she finally agreed to it.   
“Okay, Jackson is in charge and I want to be informed if an emergency happened,” she said to Raven while this one was slowly taking her to the door.  
When they were finally alone in the corridor, she said to him: “I’m never against going out with you, but something fishy is happening in here and I’m going to find out”.   
With that, she started to walk outside. Marcus could only laugh at that reaction, which was so like her.  
If only she knew, he thought, a small smile on his face. Well at least, it appeased the tension in his body.   
“Well, are you coming or not?” He heard Abby calling him from the outside. He hurried to join her, then rested his arm on the small of her back and kissed the top of her head. 

\---

They had been walking in the forest for a while when Abby began to complain about the place of their ‘supposed’ date. Marcus was trying to calm his beating heart, which was pounding in his chest more and more as they get closer to the location he and Indra had chosen. (Well, mostly Indra since she knew more the forest than him and that she wanted to “take care of it”).   
“We’re almost here,” he said calmly to her, smiling, “you’ll see, it’s worth the walk.”  
She responded with a grin and a squeeze their intertwined hands. 

A few minutes later, as promised, they finally arrived at the chosen spot.   
At the sight of it, Abby stopped dead in her tracks, her hand going to her mouth.   
The view in front of her was breathtaking.   
Marcus had led her to a place in the forest where a small river was taking its source from a waterfall. There were wildflowers glittering all around the water, adding bright and beautiful colors. The last sunrays were reflected on the waterfall, sending flashing of light around them. The sound of the water falling on the river was the only sound perceptible, making the atmosphere serene and quiet.   
The scene was so peaceful and beautiful that Abby didn’t know what to say.   
When did Marcus had time to find this place?   
She took a step forward, examining with wonder the view in front of her. Then, she noticed the blanket laid over the grass, between pink and orange flowers. On it, a basket, which seemed to be full of food, and a couple of candles were set.   
Abby’s heart was so full of love that she thought it would burst out of her chest. She stared at this beautiful scene, thinking of how much she loved Marcus.

Marcus was watching her closely, trying to read her expression when he showed her what he had planned all day with Indra. He first saw stupefaction on her face, and then it quickly turned into wonder and enchantment. He observed her, under the soft light of the last sunrays. Her face seemed to glow with happiness and love, her hair, which was tied in a loose ponytail, were gleaming in the light, soft wild curls framing her face.   
She seemed so relax and happy, he could stare at her for hours.   
She was beautiful.

When she didn’t say anything for several minutes, Marcus started to worry. He went to her and put his hand on the small of her back (apparently, he liked to do that a lot).   
He finally whispered to her, not wanting to break the charm: “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” She only nodded, still bewitched by that scene.   
“That was a tradition on earth before,” he said. Abby turned her face to him, a little bit confused by his words. “To plan a romantic dinner for the person you love”.   
She stared at him with eyes filled with love. “It’s beautiful, Marcus, thank you”.  
“That’s not, hum, too much?”  
Here it was again, the nervousness. Damn it!  
But, at his surprise, Abby only laughed at his words. “No, it’s perfect”. And she leaned to kiss him on the lips. Marcus caught her face in his hands and deepened the kiss.   
They stayed like that until they both needed air.   
“Well, that’s good because there is still something you need to see.”  
With that, he took her hand and led her to a small corner of the forest, so close to the waterfall that they could feel little raindrops on their body. There, a multitude of blue lights was sparkling all over the place. Then Abby noticed that it wasn’t lights, but butterflies; blue, fluorescent butterflies.   
She turned around toward Marcus, astonishment, and bliss written all over her face.   
He could only smile to her and cradle her face, his heart beating forcefully with the love he saw in her eyes.   
She caught once again his face in her hands and kissed him passionately. 

\---  
When they finished their dinner and Abby was lying comfortably in her lover’s arms, Marcus knew that he had to do it now. The moment was perfect. He needed to gather his courage and ask her.   
“Abby.” She turned her face to him, and he moved a little bit to be face to face with her. He wanted to see how she was going to react.   
His heart began to beat faster. “I need to tell you something.”  
Her hand squeezed his, in a gesture of comfort, sensing his tension.   
“If it is to tell me that you haven’t planned this all by yourself, I know”. It made him laugh. And it actually helped his body to relax.   
God, he needed to marry her!  
“So, who was your outsider?” She asked him, a twinkle in her eyes. “Indra,” he confessed to her, smiling. “I knew it!” She lifted her arm in a sign of victory. 

Ok, this is now or never, Marcus. Get your shit together!   
Marcus became serious once again and said, nervously, “I really need to tell you something.”   
He looked down at Abby, who was silently nodding, and saw love and trust in her eyes. So, he began to talk.  
“Abby, since we came down on earth, you have changed my life. And you still are. You opened my eyes to the beauty of things, you made me see. Before you came into my life, the world was cold and sad. Now it’s full of hope and beauty. I believe in people, you made me believe in people, in humanity. Before, the world was gray and dull; it didn’t have any color. Now, my world is full of colors; I see all of the shades in everything. But, the most important of all, is that you brought love to my world, Abby. I never thought that I would never be able to love anyone else than my mother. I shut myself from other because I thought that it was the best way to lead our people. I was wrong, Abby. I was so wrong. You made me see that. You are the reason why I am able to love, to hope, to trust, to see, to live. You are my life, Abby Griffin. You are my everything.” His voice quavered a little. But he kept going:  
“I love you so much, Abby.”   
He looked at her, tears falling from her eyes and finally said: “Abby Griffin, will you marry me?”  
At that, Abby grabbed his face to bring him down to her and kissed him fiercely.   
“So, that’s mean ‘yes’?”   
“Yes! Yes!” Abby answered, interrupting each ‘yes’ by a kiss.   
Marcus has never been so happy in his life. He held the woman he loved closely against him, never wanting to let her go. 

They held onto each other until the first lights of the morning.


	3. Abby Announces her Engagement to Clarke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby/Clarke reunion!! Mention of Clexa and of my other fanfic "You Are Loved" about Abby discovering Clarke's relationship with Lexa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy ;)

It was almost sundown when Abby caught a glimpse of Polis. She was on her way to see her daughter, to announce her engagement. 

She was still completely bewitched by what had happened. She had never thought it could happen. Well, yes, she had thought of it. But she never thought Marcus would actually do it. They have been dating for only a few months. Even if they had fallen into a routine so easily that it seemed that they have been dating for years.   
Maybe it wasn’t that new, she thought. 

During her journey to Polis, Abby had time to reflect on it (Marcus wanted to come but he couldn’t leave the camp for so long and he wanted to let her have some privacy with her daughter). Their relationship was only evolving. They weren’t young anymore. Marriage was a step forward, for sure, but it will only strengthen their commitment to each other. Making it real. 

While thinking, Abby was fiddling with the engagement ring Marcus had given her. It was a beautiful ring: bronze metal with a carved blue stone. Made by a grounder in Polis especially for her, he had told her. Blue was her favorite color. She had told him so on one of their first dates.   
He hasn’t forgotten. 

Her old ring; the one that was binding her with Jake; was now resting in a separated necklace on her neck, next to Jake’s one, forever together. She couldn’t separate herself from it. It was a reminder. A reminder of everything that had happened; a reminder of all her mistakes; in order to prevent her from making them again. But it was also a reminder of their love, of their life together, of everything that they share, of their love for Clarke. It will be always a part of her. Marcus knows it and respects it. She is so grateful for having him in her life. 

Jake is her past. Marcus is her future. Now they were both a part of her. They were both in her heart. One was resting against her neck; the other one, on her finger. 

She will try her best do keep them forever with her. 

\---

She finally reached Polis. 

Clarke knew about their relationship. She had noticed it very early on, when they had only started dating. She went to Arkadia to spend some time with her friends some months ago and hadn’t been blind to all the not-so-subtle eye contacts, the touches, the light kisses when they thought no one was looking. After Mount Weather, she knew something had changed between them.

Abby had already had the chance to talk to her about it. Clarke wasn’t completely pleased with it, but not against it. She knew that Kane had changed. But in her memory, he was still the one voting for her dad’s execution and her own imprisonment. She had rights to be angry with him. But he had changed, completely. And she knew that. She also knew that he would do anything possible to protect her. It had seemed to be enough for Clarke.

But a marriage was something else. It was a big step forward. And she hoped that Clarke would understand. She was the most important person in her life and she valued her opinion more than anybody else. 

Thus, Abby was a little anxious when she arrived in the city; but she hoped for the best.

\---

She was led to her daughter’s room as soon as she entered the tower that represents the place of the royal power. She was immediately greeted by Clarke’s warm embrace. They had learned to put aside their differences and hold onto each other in this world where nothing was safe. 

“Mom” Clarke whispered against her hear. “Hey honey,” Abby answered back, “how are you?” She examined her daughter from head to toes, noticing her tired expression.   
“I’m good,” she said, reassuring at her mom. Seeing her knowing look, she added: “A little bit tired, maybe but you know, I help Lexa with all this diplomatic stuffs, so it’s a lot of work.”   
“I know, I know, honey. Just, don’t forget to take care of yourself,” she said with a smile.  
“Don’t worry, Lexa is making sure of that.” That last remark made the both women laugh a little.   
“I’ve missed you. I always miss you.”   
“I know,” Clarke responded, “but…”  
“I understand. Your life is here now. You have Lexa.”   
The young woman was so grateful that her mom let her be herself, leave her life with the person she wanted and loved, even though she knew it was very hard to her, on both of her. But that was a part of becoming an adult. You leave your parents one day or another. Clarke had to leave her mother way sooner than expected, certainly, but it was still a part of life. And Abby understood that. 

“You said you had something important to tell me. What is it, mom?”  
“Maybe we should sit down first,” Abby said while directing her daughter toward her bed.   
“Wait,” she stopped, “is there a problem? I someone in danger?”  
“No, nothing to worry.” Clarke was still looking at her, skeptical. “It’s not about Arkadia, or the Grounders. It’s a personal matter.” She was still not moving, even though she seemed more relaxed. “It’s about my relationship with Marcus.”  
Her daughter’s face lit up with understanding “Oh”.   
Then she became concerned: “Is everything okay? Did he do something wrong?” Her tone became angrier as she asked her: “Did he hurt you?”  
Abby quickly began to reassure her. “No, no, not at all, it’s not that…”  
“So what it is? Why are you so nervous? And why did you had to come all the way here?”  
Abby was trying to talk between her daughter’s inquisitive questions, but she had some difficulties. Clarke had always been stubborn.   
“No, Clarke, listen to me!”   
But her daughter wasn’t really listening, trying to discover why her mother had come in here.  
Abby decided to tell her without further delay, and without preparation:  
“Marcus and I are getting married.”

A silence filled the room. Clarke went through several emotions: surprise, incomprehension then confusion.   
“What?”   
“We are getting married,” Abby, said one more time, as calm as possible.   
“Since when?”  
“He proposed, two days ago.”  
Clarke still seems unconvinced. That’s when she noticed the new ring on her mother’s finger.   
She knew that she had started to wear her father’s ring on her neck, next to his, since she began dating Kane. But she the ring on her finger was, without a doubt, brand new. She would have noticed.   
So this was real. Her mom was getting married. To Kane. 

She looked at her mother. Her eyes were full of genuine concern, but not for herself, not for her upcoming wedding, but for her, her daughter. She wanted to make sure that she approved the union; that she agreed with it. She wanted approval. Just as she had wanted her mother’s approval about her relationship with Lexa. Her mother had come all the way to see her because she didn’t want to plan anything without talking to her first, without having her opinion.   
She was wearing the ring, so she had said ‘yes’; she wanted it. But she still needed her approval. 

“Do you love him?”  
The question surprised Abby. That wasn’t what she expected. Her daughter was a lot more of an adult than she always thought. So she answered truthfully.  
“Yes. I do love him.”   
Clarke observed her mother’s expression. She was sincere.   
“Does he make you happy?”  
Once again, Abby answered with her heart: “Yes.”  
“Does he love you?”  
Abby thought about the night of their engagement, and all the efforts he made for especially for her, to show how he cares for her. With that in mind, she responded once more: “Yes.”  
The two women looked at each other for a while, then Clarke broke the silence.   
“Well, then I’m happy for you, mom. Truly.”   
Abby started to relax. “Really?”  
Her daughter took her in her arms, holding her mom close to her.  
“If he makes you happy, mom, that’s all that matter. I love you and I want you to be loved again, like when dad was alive.”  
“Clarke, you know that Marcus will never replace your dad. He will always have a special place in my heart”.  
Her daughter looked at the intertwined rings on her neck. “I know.”  
When she saw the concerned look in her mother’s eyes, she continued: “Really, mom. You’ve accepted my relationship with Lexa because we love each other. It’s the same thing for you and Marcus. If you love each other, and you want to get married, do it. Don’t waste any more time.”  
Abby took her daughter in her arms one more time and whispered a ‘thank you’ then kissed her hair softly. 

Finally, Clarke said, with a smile:   
“So, that’s mean I’m the maid of honor?”


	4. The Wedding Preparation or The Kids Getting Excited About Throwing A Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The planning of the wedding!   
> Staring all the kids: Raven, Monty, Jasper, Octavia, Harper, Nathan + Lincoln and Indra (let's not forget the BFF) ;)
> 
> Everyone is excited and they have crazy ideas!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, got caught up in work...
> 
> Enjoy! ;)

When Abby came back from Polis, the camp was buzzing with life. Everyone seemed to have their hands busy with something. And it was making them excited, like really excited. While she was crossing the camp, she was getting smiles and ‘congratulations’, and people seemed to whisper around her.

Finally, she spotted Raven among the crowd.   
She went straight to the young girl. “What is going on? Something happened when I was gone?” Raven grinned at the older woman, and answered: “A lot happened when you were gone actually.”   
Abby’s reaction was immediate. She started to look everywhere, trying to determine what or who may be in danger, if something in the camp had a malfunction, but all she could see was happy faces.   
Raven quickly refocused Abby’s attention on her and said, in order to reassure her: “Abby! Nothing’s wrong. We are planning your wedding!”  
The older woman stopped whatever she was doing and stared at the mechanic.   
“What?”  
“We started the day you left, we thought that it would be a nice surprise.” Raven seemed to doubt a little bit about her plan (yes, it was actually her plan). She hasn’t thought that she would react that way.  
“Who is ‘we’?”  
“Hum…”  
“Raven.” Abby’s tone was stern. (She should have known that she wasn’t the type to like surprises or to enjoy people doing things for her).  
“Well, me, Jasper, Harper, Monty, Nathan, Octavia and Lincoln. Oh and Marcus and Indra, of course.”  
“Marcus? He thought that I would agree to not be a part of the planning of my own wedding?”  
“Well, actually, you won’t be completely out of the planning… We just wanted to surprise you!” Raven tried to explain herself, not really wanting to deal with an angry Abby.   
“Where’s Marcus?” Abby asked her, trying to calm herself. The girl had good intentions and the one she should be blaming was Marcus for trying to plan her wedding without her.  
“In the council room, I think”.  
With that information, Abby left the young girl and went to find her fiancé. 

\---

Marcus was sitting in the council room, going through some papers that required his attention (he was still the chancellor and had to make sure everything was taken care of). He didn’t heard the door open or the sound of footsteps in the room until the person made her presence known, quite loudly:   
“Marcus! When did you think that letting others plan my own wedding without my knowledge would be a good thing??”  
Marcus’ focus went directly to the woman standing in front of him, hands on the hips.  
“Abby! When did you come back?” He was quite surprised to see her already. He thought that she would take more time with Clarke and Lexa.   
“2 minutes ago. So?” Abby was quite exasperated.   
Marcus sighed. He thought that he would have more time.  
“Raven suggested it when you went to Polis and I thought that it could be a good idea.”  
“Why did you let her do it?”  
“She is excited about it, Abby. They all are. A joyful event like a wedding always cheers up people! I didn’t mean to put you aside for our wedding, I just thought that it would help us, help you with the preparation even if I know that you want something simple. You should have seen the kids’ faces when he told them that they could help.”  
Marcus tried to calm her down, and tried especially to make her understand that he did it to help her, not to take her responsibilities away.  
Abby started to realize what he actually tried to do.   
She felt guilty for reacting that quickly against him and Raven. She was maybe a little overreacting.  
Marcus seemed to know what was going through Abby’s head.  
“Hey, Abby, don’t worry, it’s nothing.”  
“I’m sorry, Marcus, I think I’m a little bit stressed with all this wedding thing,” Abby quietly apologized.  
“It’s okay,” Marcus, said with a soft smile, “that’s why their services are welcomed”  
Abby rubbed her eyes; maybe she also needed a good nights rest.   
“I need to apologize to Raven.”   
Marcus laughed softly and kissed her forehead, bringing her close to him: “I think she’ll get over it.”  
\---

Like Marcus predicted, Raven didn’t really took to heart Abby’s fit of anger, and was now talking vividly with Jasper, Monty, Harper and Nathan about ideas for the wedding. They all had great ones (from Raven’s point of view).   
Monty started by suggesting that they can’t have a true wedding without alcohol. Everybody agreed with him. Can’t have a party without Monty’s famous moonshine.   
“Oh, but you know what would be even greater,” said Jasper suddenly.  
Everyone looked at him, expectantly.   
“A drinking contest!”   
They all knew Jasper’s difficulties with alcohol, so they weren’t really convinced. “No, I mean, not for me, I won’t drink I promise. But for the Kane and Abby, they need to loosen it a bit.”  
“I think that a good idea,” Monty agreed, “We can make them compete against each other.”  
That seemed to convince everybody.   
“Okay, I add that on the list.” Raven was very thorough with the wedding preparation; she wanted Kane and Abby to have a great time.  
“Next, we need something for the decoration and the light!”  
“Harper and I can take care of that,” Nathan intervened, “I thought that we could put bulbs all around the camp so it would be like a thousand lights.”  
“And we can gather flowers and then throw them when they are finally married,” Harper added.   
“Great guys!” Raven noted down the new ideas.  
“I can take care of the music,” Jasper said, “Maya had awesome songs on her IPod.”  
Once again, they all looked at him.  
“Stop that, guys. Maya would have loved that her music was played during a wedding.”  
Jasper had needed time but he finally overcame Maya’s death and knew that the best way to honor her memory was to remember the great moments he had with her. And to stay alive. She would have wanted him to stay alive. It was the only way he could remember her.   
“Okay,” Raven broke the silence, “I can make fireworks.” She added it on the list. “But I can also make tiny explosive that will blow up at each corner of the camp. It would surprise everyone, and, it will produce colored powder! Isn’t it great?” She exclaimed, very happy with herself.   
“I can help you make those,” Monty suggested.  
Everyone approved.   
“What’s left?”  
“Food!” Nathan said.  
“Maybe we can take all that we have in the kitchen and make a big, crazy cake!” Harper proposed.   
“Gross,” Jasper said, “I’m in.”  
“Approved!” Raven noted it.  
“During the dinner, we can take a moment for each person to say something embarrassing about Kane and Abby!”  
“That’s a great idea, Nathan,” Raven approved it, excited, “I can’t wait to see Kane embarrassed!”  
“I think we have everything,” Monty said, checking Raven’s noted.   
“Yep!” she agreed. “I’m going to check it with Kane!”  
With that, she went to see the Chancellor, the list in her hand and a big grin plastered on her face. 

\---

On the other side of the camp, Lincoln and Octavia were talking to Indra about the wedding. They wanted to represent the Grounders’ side and make a wedding that could represent both the Earth’s traditions and the Sky people’s ones.   
Unlike the others, they knew that Kane and Abby didn’t want something too big or too showy. Even if Octavia kept suggesting crazy ideas to surprise Kane. (Indra glared at her every time she did, even if, deep down, she would really enjoy it).

“I was thinking we could bring dancers and musicians from Trikru, it could add something more of our tradition with what they have already planned,” Lincoln suggested.  
“I agree,” Indra said, “we could also perform the painting tradition.”  
“What’s the painting tradition?” asked Octavia.  
“The day of their wedding, the family of the bride and groom has to paint love symbol on their hands, neck and back. The paintings need to match to symbolize the union of the two lovers.” Lincoln explained.  
“That’s beautiful,” Octavia said, “but do you think they will agree?”  
“We’ll have to ask them.”  
Octavia nodded, grabbed her list (Raven had given her one to complete her own for the things they haven’t done) and checked what they still had to take care of.  
“We still need to find them wedding clothes!”  
“I’ve got that covered,” Indra replied.  
“Okay,” the young girl was a little bit surprised by the fact that Indra was taking care of the clothes. She wondered how she was going to convince Abby to put a dress. Kane would be easy. Since he was on earth, the chancellor had changed a lot and was one of the people the most involved in the life of the grounders. So he wouldn’t mind accepting clothes from Indra. Octavia also knew that they were close and that she had helped him for his proposal to Abby. 

Thinking of the proposal, an idea popped up in her mind.  
“We could also use blue butterflies!” She exclaimed. “Kane said that Abby really loved them. Maybe we can capture a few and then release them when they are declared husband and wife.”  
She looked at the two people in front of her. Indra seemed to like the idea and told her that she was in charge of it, and that she can take two or three grounders to help her.  
Lincoln was looking at her with a smile on his face. 

When Indra left them to talk to Kane about their propositions, he bent down to kiss her.  
“I didn’t know you liked those butterflies so much.”  
“They were one of the first things I saw when I arrived here. They’re beautiful.”  
“Not as much as you.”  
Octavia laughed at that; she put her hand on his neck to bring him down to her and kiss him. 

\---

Marcus and Abby were currently in medical, taking a little break from work to be with each other. They were sitting extremely close, their hands intertwined together, when Raven walked in.   
“Sorry to interrupt but I have ideas for your wedding. Some of us are actually planning it, not smooching in public places.”   
Hearing Raven’s enthusiastic voice, the two lovers knew that their moment of privacy was over.  
“What’ve you got?” Marcus asked the girl.  
She handed him the list with a smile. He looked at it, Abby behind his shoulders.   
“Wow! That’s a lot of things…”  
“Well, this is the first marriage on the ground, do you really think we’re going to do it halfway?”  
Marcus and Abby read once again the list and shared a few words between them.  
“Okay, we’re going to see this tonight but we can’t approve everything, Raven.”  
“C’mon!”  
“Just a few things!”  
Raven sighed in exasperation.   
“What do you want to remove?” She finally asked.   
“The explosives…” Raven was ready to retort but Marcus stopped her: “are too dangerous. And if you want the fireworks and the lights, there is not enough material for the explosives.”  
“Okay… “ Raven agreed, at least she still had her fireworks.  
“And no drinking contest,” Abby added, “I don’t want to have to take care of drunken people the day of my wedding.”  
“Good point,” the young girl admitted after reflexion.  
Abby checked the list once more.   
“I think that’s all…”  
“No, wait,” Marcus interrupted, “no cake. Indra told me that Lexa wanted her people to cook for our wedding.”  
“Okay. I wasn’t convinced by this cake anyway.” She winked at them.

“If this all, I’m going to get started with the others!” She said, excitedly.   
She was about to walk away when Abby stopped her.  
“Raven, wait!”  
She turned back with a questioning look.  
“I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier today. I overreacted and…”  
“Oh, don’t worry Abby, already forgotten!”  
With that, she left, leaving Marcus and Abby alone.  
“Told you she’ll get over it.” He said with a smile, embracing her. 

\---

Later that day, when most of the camp had fallen asleep, Marcus and Abby were in their room, going through all the ideas for their wedding. They were both exhausted from their day, but they had still so much to do. Between their respective jobs and the preparation of the wedding, they found very little time for themselves.   
Abby was sitting on the bed, next to Marcus. She let out a yawn.  
“Maybe we should go to bed. You’re exhausted.”  
“Marcus, we have so much to do, and I have patients to see tomorrow…”  
“Well, that’s a good thing that half of the camp is helping planning this, don’t you think?”  
She smiled at him. “Yes, that was a good call,” she admitted.   
“Okay, so now, bed!”  
With a last look at the papers, Abby finally put them on the ground and lie next to her lover.  
He switched off the lights and gave her a good night kiss.   
“I love you,” he said softly to her, his lips on her hair.  
“Love you too,” responded a tired Abby, already falling asleep, taking comfort in the arms of the man she loved.


	5. The Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding day has finally arrived. Marcus and Abby are nervous. But a beautiful ceremony awaits them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in this chapter, I mention a painting ritual performed by Grounders on the bride and the groom.  
> This idea comes purely from my imagination and nothing more. I don't want to offend anybody.
> 
> Enjoy :)

The sun slowly started to rise. A new day was about to begin. But it wasn’t any other day. It was Marcus and Abby’s wedding day. And the whole camp was already buzzing with life at the first rays of light.  
The only ones who didn’t seem to be aware of that were the future spouses. 

Indeed, Marcus and Abby were lying peacefully in their bed, enjoying each other’s presence. Marcus was slowly tracing random patterns with his hand on Abby’s back, who was starting to wake up.  
“Hey,” he whispered.  
“Hey,” she responded, lazily.  
He gently kissed her.  
“Ready for the big day?”  
Abby sighed, she was a little bit nervous. Who wasn’t on their wedding day, after all?  
“Yeah,” she finally said, “I can’t wait to be officially yours”.  
“Me too,” he added, leaning to kiss her again. 

Raven chose the exact moment to enter the bedroom and put an end to their activities.  
“Okay guys, sorry to interrupt, but you’re gonna have to keep it for tonight!”  
The two lovers stopped immediately what they were doing and started to hide under the covers, as a way of protection.  
“Raven!” Abby exclaimed, “What on earth are you doing?”  
“Well, it’s your wedding day so you both need to get out of bed. And Indra told me that it is a tradition for the bride and the groom to not see each other before the ceremony. So…”  
She looked at them expectantly. They still weren’t moving.  
“And we have a surprise for you, Abby! So now, get up and move!”  
With that, she left the room and slammed the door.  
Marcus and Abby looked at each other: “I guess we’re going to have to say goodbye for now.”  
“I guess so,” she said smiling at him.  
She leaned to kiss him one more time, when they heard Raven at the other side of the door: “We don’t have all day, you know!”  
They both laughed and started to get up. 

\---

When Abby finally left her room and went to find Raven in the mess hall, she would have never guessed what the young mechanic had in mind. The moment she stepped into the room, she was greeted by a warm embrace; an embrace that could only belong to her daughter. As she hugged the young girl back, gripping onto her blonde hair, Abby realizes how much she had missed her.  
“Clarke,” she said, realizing her after a few minutes, “when did you get here?”  
She was studying her face, always trying to see if she was okay and happy. But Clarke was beaming at her mother.  
“Octavia called us through the radio and told us to come here in the morning, to surprise you.”  
“Well, that’s a good surprise!”  
Abby whispered a silent ‘thank you’ to Octavia who was standing beside Lincoln in the back of the room, leaving them some privacy.  
“Well, I was the one who had the idea so…” Raven started, making her presence known.  
“Raven! What about we just go outside and leave them alone?” Octavia suggested. Then she gripped Raven’s arm and dragged her outside, not really leaving her a choice. 

Abby and Clarke found themselves alone in the room, catching up on the last few weeks.  
“So, you’re ready for your big day?” Clarke asked her mom, smiling reassuringly.  
The older woman sighed and then answered her question: “Well, I’m a bit nervous actually. Indra told us about all of the traditions that we’re going to have at the wedding, and well, it’s very new so…”  
“Don’t worry, mom. Everything is going to be alright!” Her daughter said to her, reassuring her.  
“You’re here,” Abby responded, caressing her girl’s face, “I know it will be.”

\---

At the beginning of the afternoon, when people were fixing the last few things for the wedding tonight (they had wanted it to take place just before the sunset), Lexa arrived in Arkadia. She was still wearing her commander’s clothes but her face was cleaned up and her hair braided. She was followed, as usual, by her personal guard but she seemed extremely relaxed and content. She greeted the Sky people, and made her way toward what she knew was the mess hall, the place where she usually meets with Kane and Abby. 

However, as soon as she entered the room, she was met with arms around her neck and a bunch of gold hair. Recognizing immediately her attacker, Lexa smiled and squeezed the girl strongly against her.  
“Lexa,” the blonde whispered in her ear, “I missed you.”  
Lexa laughed happily:  
“Clarke, you were only gone for a few hours!”  
Clarke nuzzled her nose against her shoulder, and said, pouting: “Yeah, well, I still missed you.”  
When they finally parted, Lexa asked how her mother was doing.  
“She’s fine, a bit nervous, but you know, who wouldn’t be on their wedding day?”  
The brunette nodded and was about to say something when she heard an exclamation coming from behind her lover:  
“Heda! Welcome to Arkadia,” Lexa recognized the figure of her warrior chief, Indra, “I hope you had a nice travel.”  
“Indra, it’s good to see you!” She greeted her, “how is the preparation going?”  
“Great! We’ve almost finished!” said a joyful Octavia appearing in the door, alongside Lincoln.  
After greeting them, Octavia added: “You should come see the backyard, Raven decorated it with small lights shaped like stars and we’ll light them when it’ll be dark!”  
With that, they made their way toward it, Clarke taking Lexa’s hand in hers. 

The backyard was the place chose for the wedding celebration. Instead of mud, the grass was flourishing all around and trees were touching the fence, which was open for the occasion. For the wedding of their chancellor and main doctor, the people of Arkadia had put all their heart and energy into making it the most beautiful as possible. An event such as a wedding made everyone cheerful and the prospect of a party could only strengthen that feeling.  
As Octavia promised, the backyard was beautifully decorated and arranged for the wedding.  
All the trees and bushes were embellished with pink and purple strings. Among certain tree branches, we could distinguish the small lights Octavia was talking about (Raven’ special invention). The grass was peppered with flowers of all sorts and colors, and all around, baskets full of them were scattered. On the far side of the backyard, a huge tree was standing tall among the others and was covered with wooden blue butterflies, extremely well carved (Lincoln did this all day long). Those butterflies were going to match the one that Octavia will dispatch during the vows. This tree was the spot were Marcus and Abby were going to be married.  
Around the backyard, people were starting to install chairs to assist to the wedding. Tables were also set. The food prepared by the Grounders was slowly put on them. Everything looked delicious.  
The entire setting was beautiful. The couple was going to be extremely surprised and pleased. 

Lexa and Clarke admired what they had done and could only congratulate them for the good work.  
“My mom is going to be enchanted!” Clarke assured them.  
“Well, she has to!” Octavia exclaimed, with a smile on her face. Lincoln nudged her gently in the side. Then he turned toward the little group of people and asked:  
“What about you help us finish the last preparations?” 

\---

The hour of the wedding was getting close, and the bride and groom were really starting to get very nervous, to say the least. They were both waiting in separate rooms. They needed to get dressed and have the painting rituals performed on them by grounders. Abby was waiting for Indra, and Marcus for Lincoln.

On the side of the bride, Abby was pacing forth and back in the room, dressed only in a bathrobe. Indra seemed to take her time to come here.  
Finally, the door opened and Indra, accompanied by Clarke entered the room.  
“Oh, Thank God! What took you so long?”  
“Relax mom, everything’s alright!” Clarke said reassuringly.  
Abby nodded and tried to calm her breathing. Then, she seemed to actually notice Clarke standing in the room, holding what looked like a dress. Seeing her mother’s wondering look, Clarke casually answered: “I’m here to help Indra. And to calm you down too. That’s the job of the bridesmaid, isn’t it?”  
Abby smiled at her daughter, always so thoughtful.  
“So here’s your dress. Made by Lexa’ personal dressmakers. What do you think?” The young girl put the dress in front of her, so her mother could examine it closely.  
Abby’s breath was caught in her throat. The wedding gown was gorgeous.

The dress was strapless; it was made entirely in a white silk-like material, but it seems thicker. From the top to the bottom, small golden threads were sewed onto the gown. It made some extremely precise patterns that looked like flowers and leaves (maybe symbolizing the Earth). The golden threads were sewed very close at the top of the dress and then, the more it went toward the bottom, the more they diverged from each other; leaving more place for the white material.  
Abby examined it carefully, amazed, and discover that the gown was leaving most of her back bare.  
It was really magnificent.

“So, you like it?” Clarke asked after a moment.  
Abby was at lost of words.  
Finally, she said: “Like it? You’re kidding me! I love it! It’s gorgeous!”  
Clarke smiled at her mother.  
“Did you people really made this?” Abby asked Indra.  
“Yes. The Commander selected the best dressmakers. She wanted Wanheda’s mother to have a glorious wedding.”  
“Well, I’ll have to thank her!”  
Abby looked at what Indra was doing. Apparently, she was mixing different pigments that resulted into a thick black liquid that looked like paint.  
Indra answered her silent question.  
“You’re going to put the dress on first and then I will perform the painting ritual on your neck, back and hands.”  
Abby nodded. She trusted Indra. And she seemed to know what she was doing.  
Thus, with Clarke’s help, Abby put the wedding gown on, then sit down and let Indra do the painting. 

On the side of the groom, pretty much the same thing was happening. Lincoln was assisting Marcus, showing him his wedding outfit, made once again by Lexa’s personal dressmakers. It was composed of a white shirt covered with golden threads, which was letting half of his chest on the open (Lincoln explained to him that it was for the wedding paintings. The bride has it on her back and the groom on the chest, so they could match one another). But thankfully, a black jacket was also provided, making it less awkward for Marcus. The pants were simple black ones, also with golden threads at the bottom of it (to match the shirt).  
After being dressed, Lincoln started the painting ritual. The black paint was cold against his skin, but Marcus quickly got used to it. It was almost soothing, feeling Lincoln tracing patterns on his neck, chest and hands.  
When it was done, Marcus examined the result in the mirror. It was really breathtaking. The patterns on his skin seemed random at first, but when you looked closely, you could distinguish some extremely precise shapes and figures.  
“It symbolizes love,” Lincoln explained, “all of those patterns were made by our ancestors to symbolize the union of two souls. Abby will have matching patterns on her skin.”  
Thinking of Abby always made him happier, and knowing that they had matching patterns on their skins; matching patterns that will symbolize their union. Marcus couldn’t wait to see her. 

\---

The time for the wedding had finally come. Everyone was gathered in the backyard. It ended being a little bit small as all of the camp showed up and even some Grounders close to Lincoln and Indra came. At this point, they were all waiting for the ceremony to start.  
Marcus was standing under the huge decorated tree, waiting anxiously for his future wife to start walking down the aisle. Sinclair was standing close, holding the rings.  
Then, the grounders musicians finally started playing.  
On Clarke’s arm, Abby appeared. She looked stunning in her wedding gown and covered in the paintings that match exactly the Marcus’ ones.  
Seeing her like that, radiant, with her daughter by her side, Marcus felt all of his nervousness flew away.  
He never saw her looked so resplendent. His heart was filled with love, only by seeing her.  
Finally, Clarke let her go and she stood in front of Marcus, smiling brightly.  
“You look amazing,” he whispered to her.  
She blushed and smiled at him. “You too.”  
Then they were ordered to take each other’s hands and the ceremony began. 

The ceremony went smoothly and they were finally told to say their vows.  
Marcus began.  
“Abby Griffin, you are the most amazing and gorgeous woman I know. But what I most admire in you is your perseverance. You never give up. Even when the whole world told you to. You have changed me in so many ways, and I’m so grateful that I have to be a part of your life. You gave me a new beginning. And now, you are giving me a future. With You. And I can’t wait to start this new chapter of our life. I love you, Abby.”  
With that, he slipped the ring onto her finger.  
Abby looked deeply in his eyes, tears starting to appear.  
“Marcus Kane, when we started working together, I didn’t really like you, you were kind of a jerk.”  
Many laughs were heard among the crowd. But Abby smiled at him and keep going:  
“But then you changed, for the better. You revealed a whole new part of you that I never though you would have. And you astonished me. You are one of the kindest and most thoughtful men I know. You gave our people hope. You gave me hope. And now I can’t think of a future without you. You are my future, Marcus Kane, and I love you.”  
Like him, she slipped the wedding ring onto his finger.  
They were looking at each other with so much love that they barely heard the Grounder priest says; “Now you may kiss the bride.”

They met halfway for their first kiss as husband and wife. Cheers and applauses erupted all around the camp; and blue butterflies started to fly toward the sky, surrounding the couple. But they were too busy with each other, kissing passionately, to notice anything else.  
It was such beautiful sight and they knew that it will be engraved in their mind for a long time.

\---

The after-party was something as memorable as the wedding. Indeed, the night had fallen over the camp and loud music was echoing through Raven’s newly installed speakers. People were dancing, eating, laughing. There were Sky people and Grounders, both enjoying their alliance through that beautiful union. 

The newlyweds were standing in the middle of the camp, slowly dancing to the music. Abby’s head was resting on her husband’s shoulders, and they were both smiling peacefully. 

Not very far away, Clarke and Lexa were also enjoying some quiet and peaceful moments together. Clarke had convinced Lexa to slow dance with her, despite the resistance of the Commander, (but she realized that she enjoyed it very much). Lexa held Clarke near her and whispered in her ear: “That was a beautiful ceremony”.  
The blonde girl hummed in response.  
“Maybe we can have that someday.”  
Clarke looked up and caught Lexa’s eyes. She was blushing but her eyes were sure and unhesitant. She smiled brightly.  
“Yes, maybe someday.”

Fireworks exploded in the sky, adding a colorful touch in the night sky. A lot of applauses erupted from the crowd; but the newlyweds were barely noticing it, holding each other close. 

Afar, Lincoln and Octavia were slipping quietly away from the party and into the forest.  
All the kids were gathered around the food, (which was delicious) and the drinks. They were laughing happily.  
Everyone seemed to be enjoying the party. 

 

The wedding had really been beautiful. Marcus and Abby couldn’t have dreamed of a better wedding. They were both thrilled by it, but most importantly, they now belonged to one another. And they were going to live the rest of their life together, side by side, for better or worse. 

Love always wins in the end.


End file.
